Bold Proclamation Amidst Opposition
(Scholars / Pastors)

Acts 4:1-22 offers a pivotal account of the early church's initial direct confrontation with the established Jewish religious authorities in Jerusalem, serving as a powerful illustration of the Christianity Accepted and Opposed theme and demonstrating the unyielding advance of The Great Commission through Spirit-empowered Teaching About Jesus and the Gospel. This pericope follows immediately from the miraculous healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate and Peter's subsequent sermon in Solomon's Portico (Acts 3).

I. The Arrest and the Opponents (Acts 4:1-4) The immediate aftermath of Peter's sermon is the apprehension of Peter and John by the temple guard, the priests, and significantly, the Sadducees. The Sadducees, a powerful aristocratic sect, were primarily concerned not by the healing itself, but by the apostles' public "teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead". As Jewish sects, the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8) and thus perceived the apostles' Christological kerygma, particularly its emphasis on Jesus' bodily resurrection, as a direct challenge to their theological tenets and religious authority. Their concern was rooted in maintaining social order and their privileged position within the temple system, which they feared was being destabilized by the apostles' disruptive message. Despite the opposition, Luke notes that "many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand". This immediate numerical growth, amidst the very act of suppression, foreshadows the paradoxical nature of persecution in Acts, where resistance often serves as a catalyst for the Gospel's advance.

II. The Interrogation by the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:5-7) The following day, Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish ruling council. This formidable assembly included "Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of priestly descent". This is the same council that condemned Jesus, establishing a thematic parallel between the opposition Jesus faced and that now confronting His followers. The question posed to the apostles, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?", is fundamentally a challenge to their authority. It implies a demand for their ordination or commission to perform such deeds and teach publicly. This directly sets the stage for Peter's The Holy Spirit's Role-filled response, which will directly answer the question of authority.

III. Peter's Spirit-Filled Proclamation (Acts 4:8-12) Peter's response is a classic example of Spirit-empowered witness, demonstrating The Holy Spirit's Role in enabling The Great Commission. Luke explicitly states that Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit," addressed the council. This divine filling transforms Peter from the fearful denier of the Gospels into a fearless advocate for Christ. His address is characterized by both courage and strategic clarity.

He directly answers their question by attributing the healing to "the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead". This is a bold and direct accusation, placing the responsibility for Jesus' death squarely on the shoulders of the very leaders sitting in judgment. He then immediately transitions to a declaration of God's vindication of Jesus through the resurrection. Peter employs a powerful Prophecy Fulfillment argument by quoting Psalm 118:22: "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone". This messianic Psalm, originally referring to Israel’s rejection by nations but ultimately becoming God’s chosen instrument, is applied directly to Jesus. The "builders" are unequivocally identified as the Sanhedrin members themselves, highlighting their spiritual blindness and their rejection of God's ultimate plan. Jesus, the rejected stone, is now declared the indispensable "chief cornerstone" (kephalē gōnias), the foundation and capstone of God's new spiritual temple, the Church.

The culmination of Peter's kerygmatic proclamation (central to Teaching About Jesus and the Gospel) comes in Acts 4:12: "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved". This declaration is an absolute, exclusive claim, directly challenging any notion of salvation through adherence to Mosaic Law, temple rituals, or other religious systems. It asserts Jesus as the sole and unique mediator of salvation, the only name by which humanity can be reconciled to God. This uncompromising exclusivity is a defining characteristic of the apostolic message and a core tenet of The Great Commission.

V. The Council's Reaction and Dilemma (Acts 4:13-18) The Sanhedrin's reaction is one of astonishment and perplexity. They "observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men". The term "uneducated" (agrammatoi) means they lacked formal rabbinic training, and "untrained" (idiōtai) suggests they were laymen, not professional religious scholars. Their boldness (parrhesia) was therefore inexplicable by human standards. The council "began to recognize them as having been with Jesus". This recognition implies a deeper understanding: the apostles' confidence, authority, and even their mannerisms mirrored those of Jesus Himself, suggesting a profound influence and continuation of His ministry through them.

The council's dilemma is further complicated by the undeniable presence of the healed lame man: "And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply". The miracle was public, verifiable, and irrefutable. Unable to deny the fact of the healing, the Sanhedrin retreats to confer. Their decision is to issue a strict warning: "they commanded them not to speak any longer to any man in this name". This reveals their fear of the message's spread and its potential impact on their authority and control. This represents a direct attempt to suppress The Great Commission.

VI. Apostolic Resolve and Release (Acts 4:19-22) Peter and John's response to the Sanhedrin's prohibition is a definitive statement of apostolic resolve and obedience to a higher authority: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard". This declares their allegiance to God's command over human prohibition. Their claim to speak "what we have seen and heard" re-emphasizes the eyewitness foundation of Teaching About Jesus and the Gospel and their commission as Christ's "witnesses." This refusal to be silenced, despite threats, powerfully demonstrates The Holy Spirit's Role in empowerment and the unyielding nature of The Great Commission.

The council, recognizing the impossibility of punishing them due to public favor (the people were "glorifying God for what had happened") and the undeniable miracle ("for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed"), releases them. The release of Peter and John, not due to the council's goodwill but to external pressures and the undeniable miracle, underscores the paradoxical way God uses opposition to further His plan. This initial encounter sets a pattern for the Christianity Accepted and Opposed theme throughout Acts: the Gospel consistently faces resistance from authorities, yet God sovereignly orchestrates events to ensure its continued expansion. This passage serves as a foundational text for understanding the early church's missiological strategy and its resilience in proclaiming Christ even amidst significant adversity.